Ellen Birkett Morris
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work_excerpt:
May Apples
I.
David and his grandfather walked through Blenheim Forest looking for May apples, the first sign of spring. His grandfather moved slowly, his bowed legs more wobbly than ever.
When he was younger, David thought his body was fueled by tiny men inside him, ironing clothes or tending to their small homes. When two or more of them grew tired or ill, so would David. As they rallied, so would he. Later he learned that the body was muscle, blood and bones and eventually it would let you down.
Hal showed David how to look for the sponge-like shapes of morel mushrooms under tulip poplars and pinch off their tops to preserve the root system.
He taught David how to play dominoes and about the bone yard, where you pick from the remaining tiles.
“Life is all about choices,” Hal would say, selecting a tile.
Hal dropped salted peanuts in the shell into his bottle of coke and drank off the fizz before it spilled over onto the table. David did the same, though he didn’t care for peanuts in the shell.
David loved the woods, the humming of insects, the birdsong, and the fact that he could hear their footfalls as they walked.
“May apple, also called mandrake, racoonberry, and witches umbrella. The fruit makes a sweet jelly, but the root can kill you,” his grandfather said.
David scanned the forest floor.
“Right there?” he asked, pointing.
“That’s it.”
There was a small forest of green umbrellas. Plump seed pods peeked out from below the leaves. As they walked toward the May apples a slow rain began to fall.
Link to Resume:
[node:title] Resume
Favorite Books:
Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
Euphoria by Lily King
Otherwise by Jane Kenyon
What I'm Reading Now, Book 1:
White Houses
What I'm Reading Now, Book 2:
Awayland
What I'm Reading Now, Book 3:
The Punishment She Deserves
Prizes Won:
Bevel Summers Prize, Shenandoah, 2015.Baltic Writing Residency Kentucky Writers Fellowship, Finalist, 2015.Kentucky Women Writers Conference, Postgraduate Scholarship, 2013.Kentucky Arts Council, Individual Artist Professional Development Grants, 2009, 2006, 2001.Elizabeth George Foundation Grant, 2008. The Binnacle, Top Poetry Prize, 2008.Heideman Award (ten-minute plays), Finalist, 2008. Glimmer Train Family Matters Competition, Finalist, 2007.Betty Gabehart Prize for Fiction, Kentucky Women Writers Conference, 2005.The Pedestal Magazine Readers’ Awards, Honorable Mention, Fiction, 2005.Artist Enrichment Grant, Kentucky Foundation for Women, 2002.
Private E-mail:
morrisellen@bellsouth.net
With whom do you prefer to work?:
Adults
Seniors
How do you want to identify yourself?:
Buddhist
Caucasian
Feminist
Born in (Country):
United States
Born in (City):
Louisville
Raised in (Country):
United States
Raised in (City):
Louisville
Raised in (State):
Kentucky
First Name:
Ellen Birkett
Photo of the Author:
Ellen_Birkett_Morris.JPG
Last Name:
Morris
Yes
Are you interested in giving readings?:
Yes
Are you willing to travel to give readings?:
Yes
Legacy Writer ID:
142561
Listed as:
Fiction Writer, Poet
Application Accepted:
Application Accepted
Phone:
(502) 553-8872
E-mail:
2165 Eastview
Louisville,
KY
40205
2165 Eastview Avenue
Louisville,
KY
40205
link 0:
I See You [2]
link 0, location and date:
Wigleaf
link 1:
Fiction [3]
link 1, location and date:
Sliver of Stone
link 2:
May Apples [4]
link 2, location and date:
Shenandoah Magazine July 21, 2015
link 3:
Interview [5]
link 3, location and date:
Poetic Asides, July 27, 2017
link 4, location and date:
The Chapbook Interview